Return of the Ruined Capital

A novel's reprint is usually a non-event, especially in today's saturated book market. But the reprint of Jia Pingwa's Ruined Capital (Fei Du, also translated as Abandoned City) is a big deal as the book recently emerged from underground circulation for the first time in 16 years.

Reprinted by Writers Publishing House, Fei Du is being packaged together with Turbulence (Fu Zao) and Local Accent (Qin Qiang) as a trilogy. The publisher has been sending copies to book dealers across the country since July 28. A book launch is to be held on Saturday at the Jia Pingwa Literature and Art Museum in Xi'an, northwest China's Shaanxi province, with Jia in attendance to give out signed copies.

First published by Beijing Publishing House in 1993, the magnum opus of 400,000 characters became an instant hit amid a publicity blitzkrieg. The first 500,000 copies were snapped up immediately.